There are advances being made almost daily in the disciplines required to make space and its contents accessible.
This blog brings together a lot of that info, as it is reported, tracking the small steps into space that will make it just another place we carry out normal human economic, leisure and living activities.

Monday, 10 April 2017

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Mars has electrically charged metal atoms (ions) high in its atmosphere, according to new results. The metal ions can reveal previously invisible activity in the mysterious electrically charged upper atmosphere (ionosphere) of Mars.
via Science DailyZazzle Space Exploration market place

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Using a giant galaxy cluster as a cosmic-scale lens, astronomers have discovered a galaxy from the early universe that they think is 'typical' of its time. This could help astronomers better understand the Epoch of Reionization when the first galaxies appeared.
via Science DailyZazzle Space Exploration market place

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A composite image of Uranus by Voyager 2 and two different observations made by Hubble shows one for the ring and one for the auroras found around the planet.
via Science DailyZazzle Space Exploration market place

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Pre-supernova stars may show signs of instability for months before the big explosion, spewing material into space and creating a dense gas shell around themselves, report scientists in a new report.
via Science DailyZazzle Space Exploration market place

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An international team of researchers has created a new structure that allows the tuning of topological properties in such a way as to turn on or off these unique behaviors. The structure could open up possibilities for new explorations into the properties of topological states of matter.
via Science Daily

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Experimental physicists have developed a thin nanomaterial with superconducting properties. Below about -200 °C these materials conduct electricity without loss, levitate magnets and can screen magnetic fields. The particularly interesting aspect of this work is that the research team has succeeded in creating superconducting nanowires that can be woven into an ultra-thin film that is as flexible as cling film.
via Science Daily

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A novel lens for super-resolution imaging has been created that breaks resolution limitations in microscopy and has potential applications in high precision failure inspection and biological research.
via Science Daily

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Imagine being able to check the structural integrity of an airplane, ship or bridge, without having to dismantle it or remove any material for testing, which could further compromise the structure. That's the promise of a new laser-based technique that chemists are developing to reveal hidden damage in metals.
via Science Daily

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It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of silicon when it comes to computing, solar energy, and other technological applications. Yet there is still so much to learn about how to harness the capabilities of element number 14. The most-common form of silicon crystallizes in the same structure as diamond. New work shows that one form of silicon, Si-III, which is synthesized using a high-pressure process, is what's called a narrow band gap semiconductor.
via Science Daily

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What chemical processes in space could have created the building blocks of life is being researched by chemists. In their experiments, the scientists are simulating the conditions in space to understand in detail how certain chemical reactions occur.
via Science DailyZazzle Space Exploration market place

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Printed transistors have now been fabricated consisting entirely of layered materials. The team’s findings have the potential to cheaply print a range of electronic devices from solar cells to LEDs with applications from interactive smart food and drug labels to next-generation banknote security and e-passports.
via Science Daily

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